Reviews

3.5/5
Satirical, Vanity, Emptiness

“She was an artist herself, as she said very truly: there was a frankness and humility in the manner in which she acknowledged her origin, which provoked, or disarmed, or amused lookers-on, as the case might be. ‘How cool that woman is,' said one; ”

Overall: The protracted length and copious cast of characters gradually lacked momentum, grew excessive.

Pros:
-- panoramic view of English high society
-- beautiful character portrait of Amelia
-- impressive ending

Cons:
-- needlessly detailed scenes
-- lots of dull, relentless conversations

glitterbomb47's review against another edition

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5.0

Thackeray's voice seemed self-conscious at first, but I quickly came to enjoy his frequent interpolations. His characters are so vivid and real - much more so than in any other Victorian literature I have read (which I think has been limited to Dickens before this). Apparently people of the day thought he was very cynical because all his characters are flawed. I, however, loved that about this book. I am irritated by glorified heroes and heroines. Even the characters that I cared for, and rooted for, were at times stupid, stubborn or foolish. Great book.

cinephilegirl_'s review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional funny inspiring slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Todas mis estrellas son para Becky Sharp. Aguante Becky

laurenjpegler's review against another edition

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DNF @ p.382

I can’t do it anymore, sorry. Not for me. Incredibly boring.

heidi_meredith's review against another edition

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challenging dark funny

2.75

I found this so tedious, yet peppered with little gems of keen observation and wit, which were just about enough to keep me persevering. The last 150 pages were more bearable, but still full of references that were lost on me. Unnecessarily long.

vani_in_wonderland_'s review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes

4.0

With this book, I've got my answer to the question - Which author I'd like to have coffee with?
Hemingway came close but Thackeray's savagery and his sharp attacks on human hypocrisy are unmatched.

It took me a while to read this monster of a book but there were no two pages that missed a laugh in between. If you ever wish to read a well observed satire on early 19th century English society, look no further.

aprilhenrist's review against another edition

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funny slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

IM FREEEEE WORST EXPERIENCE OF MY FUCKING LIFE

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